Red Data Girl – 05
This is pretty and all, but I have no idea how to get home.
 |
This episode is a little bit hectic, mostly because Miyuki is such a difficult character to understand. He’s so weird! So very weird! I know he’s one of the first guys who tried to protect her, but it’s still amazing that Izumiko has grown to like him so much. |
Takayanagi has been disposed of just as easily as Wamiya was, as if the two of them were villain-of-the-week characters. It’s actually a little sad that every seemingly formidable opponent that confronts Izumiko is taken out so easily. Some people get roughed up in the process, but it hardly ever feels like they’re proper antagonists since their reign is always cut so short. Wamiya was defeated by a dance and Takayanagi was apparently just a weakling pretending to act tough. Is Izumiko even in any danger whatsoever? I’m starting to feel like nothing can touch her now. It feels more like she’s being hounded by tax collectors. They’re annoying, but they never really do anything to her. The student council and even Yukimasa with all his secrecy hardly seem threatening with their winning smiles and soothing voices. However, I’m starting to think the main theme may not be about having a constant villain after Izumiko. It may be about the Himegami itself being the “villain.”
When Izumiko goes out to talk with Yukimasa, he mentions that the number of humans who can communicate with Gods is dwindling. When the Gods are unable to contact the human race at all, it is said they will die out as a result. Yukimasa is somehow convinced that Izumiko can prevent that with the Himegami, and that’s his supposed goal – to safely raise Izumiko so that no one snuffs her out before the Himegami awakens. However, the Himgemai herself says something that completely contradicts his statement. She says that she will bring about the end of the human race. She’s most likely referring to Yukimasa’s conversation and not a bloody massacre of the entire planet. Somehow, if the Himegami takes over Izumiko completely, the human race will lose their connections to the Gods and die out.
This is an issue because it seems the more Izumiko starts to change and become more like the person she wants to be, the more the Himegami starts to reveal herself. Therefore the only way to stop this transformation would be for her to stunt her growth. No more Miyuki, no more ghost school, and no more change. That’s obviously not going to be an option or else this show would become as dull as watching grass grow, so something else must be done. What though? The Himegami is still a big question mark. I’m a little frustrated that they aren’t revealing more, but at the same time I like the mystique it adds to Izumiko’s character.
My best guess is that Miyuki will step up and protect her, somehow working out a compromise between destroying all of mankind and not being a jerk to Izumiko. This episode actually does a fairly decent job at letting us know what Miyuki is thinking. It’s a bit clunky (“whatcha thinking about?” “well, Izumiko, I’m glad you asked because…”) but at least it’s in there somewhere instead of leaving us guessing. Miyuki feels inadequate now that he’s essentially the weakest one in a school full of powerful kids. The reason he says he hates Takayanagi is exactly because he realizes he’s a lot like him in a numver of ways. They both put on a strong front, but they’re really weak inside. That’s not the sort of thing you want to admit – being similar to a sniveling weakling. Miyuki admits this weakness himself to Izumiko after he rescues her from the student council. It’s hard for him to admit that given how much pride he has.
He was also completely outclassed by the thriplets. The final stinger? Someone as dopey as Izumiko still has way more importance than he does. He’s probably not that bothered by the last one, but I’m sure it still crosses his mind when he’s ruminating. It’s hard to protect someone who has more powers than you. Miyuki wants to protect Izumiko, but everything in his life is saying he can’t. He’s not strong enough and his own father is pushing him away from his duty as a protector, calling him inferior. So throughout the episode he’s not only feeling like he’s totally worthless to Izumiko, but he’s also got all this pent-up rage at having to see his dad’s face all the time. As a result, Miyuki’s actions towards Izumiko this week are a little…misguided.
He gets so wrapped up in avoiding his dad that he ditches Izumiko. I think this decision is also because he feels like he can’t protect her anyways, so why bother? He doesn’t ask Izumiko to hide being the Himegami from her friends to upset her, but so that she’ll have friends who will stick with her and save her. However, he can’t just toss that duty onto others because he still worries about her. It’s kind of sweet that he runs after her despite the fact that it’s not his job anymore and Izumiko might not even be in any danger. It’s odd how one minute he’s being insensitive and making her cry and the next minute he’s very attentively catering to her needs. It’s really weird how he goes off and on like that. I guess it all chalks to him being too angry to bother with being nice sometimes, which is why he ditches Izumiko despite knowing full well how cruel that was. Miyuki still has a long way to go in terms of being completely nice to her.
Preview: Ghost schools call for ghost sleep-overs. Why stay up giggling over which guy you like when you can just float around all night?
There is rarely any sleeping done at sleepovers…but there is also not a lot of floating.
About Overcooled
A neuroscience graduate, black belt, and all-around nerd. You'll either find me in my lab or curled up in my rilakkuma kigurumi watching anime.
POWUH: 500-599 with 519 comments
I remember being very confused when the Himegami appeared and told Miyuki to not let her review. Like…what in the world is going on here? It just brings up questions to what is the Himegami? Is she a goddess at all and what purpose does she serve? Also, from the scenes in the OP, how is the wolf related?(Maybe it is Yukimasa?)
And I found it adorable when Miyuki was flustered around Izumiko when she had the makeup on(and her hair down).
POWUH: 500-599 with 543 comments
The flustering was funny, although I wasn’t loving the make up work.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
I thought the Himegami would be a good presence in the show…but it seems like she might be detrimental to Izumiko’s growth and…all of mankind <_< I second that the make-up job wasn't the best. She looked like a clown.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
I’m not a nature person but damn P.A Works does a good job of making the outdoors look beautiful.
Miyuki is slowly becoming civil. He’s hard to read because he’s unstable due to uncertainty of his own abilities and he’s always easily flustered since his father is continuously hovering over while taunting and ridiculing him. It’s a miracle he hasn’t lashed out at him yet.
Quite the plot twist here. If the Himegami wants to obstruct her creation, then what is Yukimasa trying to achieve with her? And since he’s such a sneaky fox, I wouldn’t put it past him that he already knows the current situation. Whatever is going on, it’s a safe he’s at the heart of it. The bigger enemies tend to be those closest to the protagonists.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Yeah, you took my guess right there about Yukimasa. Sly one, indeed.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
I agree. He seems like the all-knowing type. If he’s that obsessed about the Himegami, chances are he knows everything about her – including this whole erasing mankind business. I don’t know why he’d want that though…
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
It’s possible that Yukimasa doesn’t have the whole story. I mean, he’s only talked to Himegami once. So who knows what misconceptions he actually has. He seems like he knows it all, but he could be significantly wrong on a single point, and that could be catastrophic.
POWUH: 800-899 and Flying Sage with 856 comments
So the guy who was the head of the “shadow student council” … who was he? The Himegami seemed to say he was 100s of years old. ??
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
He was the previous seitokaichou, two years before. But like Izumiko has a connection to the Himegami, I am guessing that he’s a guy with a connection to some spirit or something.
POWUH: 500-599 with 519 comments
Maybe there is a reincarnation thing in effect here?
POWUH: 500-599 with 543 comments
That’s my guess.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
That’s one way of looking at things. Or maybe it’s a possessive spirit that jumps from one body to the next when it feels the current one in use is getting too old.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
This is the prettiest supernatural thriller ever made. And it’s, so far, in line with other P.A. Works as well; things just kinda happen as they do with little to any cues that we typically rely on to sell us the drama. Like Another, the odd, deadly things just pop right out.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
P.A. Works are the master of pretty~ Although Another was pretty in a very different way from their usual stuff.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
That and the fact the were very creative with killing off each of the students. Death by lightning bolt was one of my favorites.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I probably say this every week, but I don’t know if I could like this show more than I do. Seeing Takayanagi get literally slapped down was great. And the bit of jealousy / heartache that Izumiko had after Miyuki pushed her away, and then Mayura being friendly with him felt just about right. She doesn’t know quite how she feels about Miyuki, but it can still hurt when someone that you kinda do know how you feel about is friendly with someone else.
I like the way Izumiko is developing, and of course, the mystery of the Himegami’s plans is interesting. I think they’re related, the two things that she’s said when she possessed Izumiko: First that Izumiko would be the last vessel she’d ever take, and now that it would be the end of mankind. I’m kind of taking it a bit more literally, tho: it wouldn’t be the end because of some lost connection to the gods, it would be because the Himegami would destroy humanity. That’s just what I’m thinking here.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
Glad you’re enjoying it! I was a bit worried this would devolve into fluffy, shoujo romance but it’s actually been very good at balancing that out with some cool stuff. I like how they’re both in the “Oh man, I’m having these feelings but…what are they?!” stage. Ahh, denial is so cute.
So the Himegami would annihilate everyone? Seems a little dark for the tone of the show, but it’s definitely possible. I guess ending mankind is a dark concept in of itself anyways.
POWUH: 500-599 with 543 comments
While I wish there could be more depth to Takayanagi, I’m glad he’s done becuase geez, all he did was get slapped real quick there. And Yukimasa is really turning into a villain, bit by bit. Showing up as a part time lecturer, talking to Izumiko to get her to be more on his side without realizing it…
Miyuki, on the other hand, continues to be a problem. He doesn’t know what he wants from this entire situation, and isn’t sure how to get better when he feels at the bottom of the power chart. But the Himegami trusts him, so that should make him feel better. I’m hoping he becomes more solid later on.
The Himegami has quite the interesting entrance, I’m liking the effects they use. As for what she ends up saying, though, gosh, she always makes a big problem appear. First Izumiko as the last vessel, now she’ll destroy humanity if she controls Izumiko completely. I take that as a thing where the Himegami is nearing the end of how far she can go, but if she is allowed to take over at this point, it’s over. Boom. So humanity would end based on Yukimasa’s theory if the Himegami doesn’t possess Izumiko more and more as a connection to the gods, but with her logic, if she possesses completely, it’s over. There must be some sort of fine balance between the two, like maybe once a week? Once a month?
But that seems to be what this show is about: the fine lines between extremes. Izumiko and Miyuki are working on toeing the line here while the Himegami and Yukimasa are at the extremes.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
The change in familiarity between the Himegami’s treatment of Yukimasa and Miyuki was interesting, if it’s not something I’m reading too much into. She seemed standoffish and talking down to Yukimasa in her previous appearance, but seemed much more familiar and accepting of Miyuki in this one. I mean, as much as a Himegami is going to be.
It’s also a crappy place to put Miyuki in. Basically he’s now forced to work against what Yukimasa has said his goal is. Plus, he’s got no clue how to ‘prevent’ the Himegami from moving into Izumiko. What does he do, off her? Let someone else off her? Encourage her to sleep around? I have no clue.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Well, any time she changes her outward appearance, stuff happens; maybe if they figure out what changes shape what outcomes they could manipulate things that way?
POWUH: 800-899 and Flying Sage with 856 comments
Yeah, but I don’t trust Yukimasa either! I don’t blame the Himegami for talking down or not being accepting of him.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I don’t see him as a simple villain, however. More, he looks like the kind of Brilliant Bastard type that has his own reasons for doing bad; for the sake of the overall necessary plan.
POWUH: 500-599 with 543 comments
That’s how I feel about him. Exactly how I feel about him.
POWUH: 500-599 with 543 comments
Yeah, although Yukimasa put himself in the position of servant, whereas Miyuki was a little freaked out.
It seems that the Himegami shows up when Izumiko is a bit more serious, or asleep. That makes me think Miyuki just has to get Izumiko to stay happy and clueless (which I don’t want at all.)
But maybe the Himegami will show up again and give some more details. She might want the danger to sink in before dishing out “how.” She has limited time appearing, based on these 2 times.